Barn Style Kitchen and Dining Room

I recently toured a fabulous early 19th century house with a very small dining room. Instead of putting an addition on the house, the homeowners built a barn structure with an upstairs sleeping loft instead. Here's the country kitchen view. The middle of the room is the family room for TV viewing as you will see in the next photo.

The farm table with benches makes this the perfect space for entertaining large gatherings or for housing visiting guests. It is a great no-frills space that probably wasn't that expensive to construct. I think it's an Amish-built structure. There was no agonizing about paint colors either. Pine paneling and natural wood prevailed.

Random Photos at My Cottage

I was standing in front of one of the French doors leading out to my balcony for this photo of my kitchen.

I leaned out of my bedroom window for this shot of my backyard. You can see the brick pillars holding up my balcony and one of the Adirondack chairs I set in to cool off while and after mowing. I honestly have mowed more this year already than I did all summer last year. I mowed my front and my back yesterday starting at 6pm and finishing at 7:30. It was worthwhile since today it rained again around lunch time.

This male deer with tiny fuzzy beginning antlers waited for me to go inside to grab my Nikon and hadn't moved an inch when I returned to the balcony to photograph him. The two little wrens on the post were determined to get their picture taken too. The wild buttercups come back every year in this location and they complete this nature photo of the day.

My lady's mantle is the perfect perennial plant for capturing dewdrops and rain drops. It is grown primarily for its leaves but the chartreuse flowers are pretty nice too, especially in mixed arrangements.

That's about it for a Friday post. Click any photo to enlarge. xo

First Naturtium Blossom

The few nasturtiums that survived my overwintering project were planted outside a few weeks ago and I already have one blossom. I learned that they still need a lot of watering while overwintering indoors. I lost quite a few in the basement because I didn't go down there often enough to nurture them. Click here to see them in pots inside my cottage.

Here is a photo of the seed packet.

This photo of mine was posted in August 2008 when my blog was brand new and it still gets a lot of attention from my side bar when viewed on a computer. I remember thinking at the time it was awfully early to see any fall color.

I am planning to enjoy a day with no rain today. Fingers crossed. xo

Life Cycle of a Maple Tree

I photographed this maple leaf yesterday between showers and there just happened to be a seedpod nearby. My upstairs balcony floor is absolutely covered with these little helicopters and I am surprised that I don't have a maple forest because of them. Today promises to be the first nice day in ages and I am thankful because I have to meet home inspectors at ten o'clock this morning for a pre-listing inspection. Wish me luck! Fingers crossed. See you later. xo

Beautiful Astilbe Leaves in my Garden

My astilbe plant is loving the constant rain we've been having. I love the leaves even more than the white flowers that will come later. I found a link at White Flower Farm you can look up to show you what they will look like -- Astilbe x arendsii 'Bridal Veil'

Three Black Face Sheep

I love these sheep with their black faces, ears and legs. I would love to have a hand-knit camel colored sweater made from their natural fleece. Aren't they darling? via

Happy Mother's Day

Anna and Tabitha

My mother was always afraid Tabitha would run away and always walked her on a leash. Anna died in 2012 at age 92 and Tabitha pass about three years later. I still feel that my mom is right by my side and she lives in my heart. Happy Mother's Day to all of you.